leadership
2025 Garden Club Board
activities
Dates to Remember
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Fridays at 8:am | Chamber of Commerce Greeters. Click for their Calendar of upcoming Events |
| March 1, 10 - 11am | Seed Starting for Edibles. Al’s of Sherwood. |
| March 3 | Craft: Candles |
| March 9 | Farmington Garden rose pruning, clippers sharpening, soil testing. |
| March 10, 10 am | Board Meeting |
| March 13, 4 - 7 pm | Ladies Night Out - Al’s of Sherwood |
| March 17 | Garden Club Meeting. Speaker: Shayla Grom of Chapul Farms. |
| March 19 | Rescheduled Field Trip: Aurora Museum and Aurora Mill Sal |
| March 20/21 | Be sure to read Billy Collin’s poem, “Today”, below. |
| March 29 | YCMG Spring in Gardens: Linfield University |
| April 7 | Craft: Mosaic Rocks |
| April 11, 2pm | Board meeting - Gallery Theater |
| April 12 | Pioneer District Spring Meeting |
| April 21 | Garden Club Meeting. Speaker: Jeffrey Robson: Ichibana. |
| June 8, 2025 | It's happening! Garden Tour & Faire!! |
March Meeting | Kay Fitkin
Our March 17 Speaker will be Sayla Grom.
She will be speaking about how Chapul Farms, located just outside of McMinnville, is harnessing the power of insects to recycle organic waste into usable products. They embrace a natural way to decrease the use of chemical fertilizers / pesticides, improve soil structure, and increase nutrient bioavailability. She will help familiarize us with their processes and products, including their BSF Soil Amendment. Check out their website: Chapul Farms.
Their focus is on waste management and “bug poop fertilizer”, in an effort to restore biodiversity to Plant Earth. She is also connected to Zero Waste McMinnville as a board member. A spring field trip to their farm is possible too! This should be a fascinating presentation!
Presidents Corner
Elaine Pollak
McMinnville Garden Club PresidentWe can be sure spring is almost here: On the 9th we will “spring forward” and return to daylight savings time. On the 20th at 2:01am spring officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere.
Someone told me that we have had winter weather events for the last five Valentines Day. I do remember in 2020 when my son was first engaged, they came to Portland for a romantic Valentine weekend. I picked them up from the airport.
It began to snow on our way to McMinnville. They planned to spend one night with me; then three nights in Portland; then drive to Renton, Washington for two nights with a good friend; and then fly back to San Diego. Overnight there was a lot more snow and some ice. I refused and my nephew refused to drive them to Portland, but the buses were running with chains. It was an adventure. They took the bus to Hillsboro from Mac. (I did drive them to the transit center.) They took the Max to Portland and another bus to their hotel. Almost everything but the hotel was closed, but they had each other. By Monday the roads were fine, and they continued their trip. Now they refuse to visit here in the winter. I have to make the sacrifice and go to San Diego.
February is behind us. Bulbs are poking through the soil and soon will be blooming. My camellia is blooming. The daffodils we have planted at the Post Office, at the West End, and at the Serenity Garden will soon greet us. They are so bright and cheerful; we cannot help but feel the same.
So…Happy Spring!!
happy happy
Birthdays!
congratulations!
Members celebrating March Birthdays this month:: Candace, Kay, Shelly, Jean, Rita, Sandra L, Kim, Lori
Good Eats!
I have tried many recipes for soda bread and this one is a bit different. It’s made in a loaf pan and has both caraway seed and currants. Easy to slice and if you have leftovers, it makes a delicious corned beef and Irish cheddar grilled cheese sandwich!
- 3 ½ C flour
- ¼ C sugar
- 1 t baking soda
- 1 1/2 t salt
- 2 T caraway seeds
- 1 egg
- 1 C buttermilk
- ¼ C currants
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a 9×5 loaf pan. In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg and combine well with the buttermilk. Add wet to dry and mix with a wooden spoon, adding currants until you have shaggy dough. Turn onto a board, knead lightly until you can form a loaf shape. Place in pan. I like to brush the top with a little milk and sprinkle with some coarse sugar. Bake 20 minutes, turn oven down to 375 degrees and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Amazing taste and texture when sliced and spread with butter! Enjoy.
Pioneer District Meeting
Our club is part of the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs. The state is divided into districts. We belong to the Pioneer District consisting of Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill Counties. The entire district has a meeting and luncheon every spring and fall.
“Spring into Spring” will be April 12 at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Beaverton.
- Social time is from 9-10:00
- The business meeting is from 10-11:00
- Iwasaki Brothers will have a presentation from 11-12:00 about their family’s story and their 109 years old nursery.
- At noon we will have the luncheon.
- The business meeting will resume at 12:45 (If necessary)
This is an excellent opportunity to meet members of other clubs and learn about their activities. The cost is $25. Make your checks out to McMinnville Garden Club and please get them to Charlene before April 1.
Spring into Spring Luncheon with Yummy Food provided by Kam and Kam Catering
- Coffee and treats
- Fresh-baked rolls
- Garden salad
- Parmesan chicken
- Barbecue pork
- Vegetarian Mac & cheese
- Roasted corn
- Grilled vegetables
- Cheesecakes and berries
Update on Kay
After a lengthy hospital stay, our beloved Kay has returned home. It will be a slow recovery, and she is currently confined to bed rest. She will answer texts and emails when she is able. Please do not call.
A rotation for delivering meals to Kay and Scott has been organized. They do have dietary restrictions. If you are interested in helping, let Elaine know.
Kay has sent so many wonderful cards to club members when we have needed one. She says she really appreciates the cards sent to her, so keep them coming.
Thanks to Ann Juttelstead, who graciously volunteered agreed to step in as Sunshine Lady, while Kay recovers.
Welcome New Members
Thomas Van Hevelingen (of Van Hevelingen Herb Nursery)
Newsletter Submissions
Please send your articles to Christine HERE by the 25th of each month.
March Arts and Crafts
Join us for a morning of candle-making in Sheila’s Event Space/Studio at Flora and Fauna Farm! You will come away with a decorated little candle made from scratch with your own selected botanical scents.
*Sorry: Not for those with sensitivities to scents.
- When: Monday, March 3
- Where: 7591 NE Mineral Springs Rd, Carlton
- Time: 10-12
- Cost: $10 pre-pay at meeting. Space is limited.
Other info: Bring a mug: coffee and tea will be available. Optional: bring a treat to share.
Contact Kirsten or Colleen if you won’t be at the meeting.
Mark your calendars for our April Mosaic Rocks Craft Event → April 7, 10:00-12:00
Photos from the February crafting event: Pretty Pressed Flower Lanterns.
Our crafting sessions are a great way to have fun while getting to know some of the new members and members who don’t sit at your usual table.
March Field Trips
Due to inclement weather we had to postpone our February field trip to Aurora. We therefore have two field trips in March.
On Thursday the 13th we will travel to Al’s of Sherwood for “Ladies Night Out”. There will be live music, food, beverages, a fashion show and of course plants! The event runs from 4-7pm and entrance is free. The fashion show will start at 5:30 and there will be a 25% discount on clothes, jewelry and handbags. We will meet at the Baker Creek Community Church parking lot by Elm Street at 3:15.
Our rescheduled trip to Aurora will be on Wed. 19th. First, we will visit the Aurora Colony Museum. The guided tour is $10. Then we will have lunch at Filbert’s Farm Kitchen. Lastly, we will visit Aurora Mills Salvage. We will meet at Baker Creek at 9am. Please let Elaine know by March 5th if you wish to participate in either or both excursions. We need to make reservations. Traditionally each passenger gives the driver $5. Looking forward to seeing you there!!
Horticulture
Blast from the Past: One year ago, March 2024, we featured an article about Buddleia, titled, “Butterfly Bush: Dark Truths Revealed” (click to read)
Although, now it’s a year later, these dark truths are worth revisiting: Use the above link and scroll down to the Horticulture article. There you will find that this non-native, invasive plant is difficult to control; it out-competes native vegetation; and it rapidly invades meadows, forest edges, dunes, stream and river banks.
For a viable alternative, read on here: Purple Panacea, “A love letter to Vitex”
Conservation & Sustainability Committee
Peter Sturman gave a wonderful presentation at our February club meeting. He congratulated our Garden Club for really stepping up to collect plastic for the Zero Waste McMinnville collection events. For our last event on February 8, we delivered 46 bags of clean, sorted plastic! Peter challenged our club to focus on the “Rethink” concept during the month of March, as a way of changing the way we use and think about plastics. Peter offered several good rethink practices, and club members enthusiastically shared additional ideas. A list of these ideas will be available as a handout on the recycle intake table during our club’s March meeting.
Good News: Zero Waste will host events 4 times/year. May 3 is the next event.
Thank you to the club members for continuing to bring in your plastic to be recycled at the Zero Waste McMinnville collection events. Everyone is getting better at cleaning and sorting the plastic, making it easier to get it ready to take it to the collection event!
We are excited to announce that the McMinnville collection event is now occurring every three months! The events for 2025 will take place on February 8th, May 3rd, August 2nd and November 1st at the First Baptist Church in McMinnville.
As a reminder, Recology Western Oregon takes plastic bottles, tubs and jugs in your curbside barrel. NOTE: In Recology’s Customer Service & Recycling Guide mailed out a couple of weeks ago, it showed that plastic utensils and straws go in the garbage which is incorrect.
UPDATE (2025): Now you can take these items: plastic utensils and straws, along with bottle caps and bread clips to Recology (not in curb side recycling) or bring them to the Garden Club meetings and these items will be recycled at the collection events.
Forever Ware
CHALLENGE
Start Changing the Planet One Container at a time. Visit a local business that is using Forever Ware, Reusable To -Go Containers. “Borrow” one of their containers. Take a picture with you and your “borrowed” container Send to Christine Pritts, so we can brag on you in the next newsletter
Garden Tour & Faire Updates
We are still hoping for one back-up garden for our 2025 Garden Tour/Faire, because, unfortunately, sometimes the unavoidable cancellation can occur. Please contact Dorthea if you know of one.
We REALLY need a Ticket Sales and Distribution Chairperson. The duties include:
- Responsible for the tickets for the Garden Tour.
- Distributing tickets to the appropriate people, organizations and businesses.
- Accounting for the number of tickets sold and unsold at the end of the tour.
There are already people to write and get the tickets printed, however we need a person to keep track of them and all money coming in. Please consider helping in this way…. maybe with a friend??
In Other News:
- Patty Sorensen has agreed to write the garden descriptions for the tickets (thank you Patty). We are arranging preliminary visits to the gardens to start the process.
- Dian Berg has volunteered to ensure the garden owners get lunch (thank you Dian) on the day of the tour, in coordination with Laughing Bean Bistro.
- We still need more members to sign up for all activities, and the Sign-Up sheets will be available again at the March meeting.
- And finally, thanks to Ruth and Mike, all spaces for the Garden Faire have been filled, and we currently have a waiting list of vendors hoping to participate.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact either Bonnie or Lisa.
2025 Yamhill Native Plant Sale
The upcoming Annual Native Plant Sale is April 19!
This sale offers a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, understory, and more. Here’s the link for presale information: 2025 Yamill Native Plant Sale.
Online Preorders: start on January 1, 2025. NOTE: The 2025 sale will be pre-order only, with a smaller day-of sale to take place at the Miller Woods Earth Day event on April 19, 2025.
Pickup Dates: Time, Thursday, February 27 from 12-5, Friday, February 28 from 9-5
Saturday, March 1 from 9-3
NEW LOCATION: Yamhill County Fairgrounds, Lucas Barn, 2070 NE Lafayette Ave.
Yamhill County Master Gardeners
The Garden Club will again have a table at the Yamhill County Master Gardeners annual “Spring into Gardening “ event on March 29th at Linfield University. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our Club, our Tour and Faire, and the Serenity Garden. We need volunteers between 8:30-12:30 and 12:30-4:30. You will be able to sit in on the classes if you wish. Please let Elaine know if you can help. Thank you.
Details
When: Saturday March 29th: 8:30 am – 4pm, (check-in opens at 8:30)
Where: Linfield University Keck Science Center (corner of Linfield & Renshaw Aves)
Registration closes on March 25th. Registration is non-refundable. Walk-ins are welcome; however, lunch in Dillin Dining Hall is only available to those who preregister.
Parking is Free. (Link : Map) For more information, including: Workshop Topics, Speaker Bios, Luncheon Details and Registration, use this link: 2025 – Spring into Gardening
Resources
Quotable
If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house
and unlatch the door to the canary’s cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,
a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies
seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking
a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,
releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage
so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting
into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.Source: Poetry (April 2000) | Click: Billy Collins Bio
